The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between Major League Baseball and the players’ union is set to expire at the beginning of December and fans are already preparing themselves for the likelihood of a delayed season or no baseball at all in 2022.
However, MLB is saying “not so fast.” Per ESPN‘s MLB insider Jeff Passan, MLB and the players’ association met for their first negotiating session on Tuesday. Many in the sport fear that this would be a long and contentious negotiation, taking into consideration how the relationship between the league and the players’ association has soured in recent years; both sides having at points accused each other of acting in bad faith and multiple failed attempts to make deals, especially during last year’s attempted deal-making to get the season off the ground in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
MLB has not had a major work stoppage or strike since the 1994-95 strike that ended up cancelling the World Series. At the time of the strike, the Expos (now the Nationals) had the best record in baseball at 74-40. They never recovered from the strike and moved to Washington in 2005.
Both sides know that the sport of baseball is a $10 billion industry and it would be gravely harmed by a major work stoppage. The league is looking at pace-of-play issues as well as expanded playoffs. The players’ union on the other hand is looking at funneling money to players at the start of their careers and earlier free agency.
This will no doubt be a topic of discussion as the season wears on and especially once we get into the postseason. We’ll have more on the labor negotiations as it develops.
